When asked if they could turn a sheep’s fleece into a finished product over the four days of the Great Yorkshire Show 2022, their answer was ‘of course!’. A group of friends got together and did just that.

Based in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Fleece tent they carded, spun, skeined and knitted to produce a blanket which was designed for them by West Yorkshire based designer, Fiona Drake. Their aim was to tell the story of fleece to blanket, demonstrating the heritage skills and processes involved and showing the beauty of British wool. The group, the Yorkshire Yarn Tellers, began.

This year, they made a second, very different blanket showing the beauty of coloured natural fleeces. Fiona designed the Northern Star using mule, Shetland, zwartbles and black Wensleydale fleeces. 

They loved the challenge and are already planning for 2024!

Copies of the patterns are available with all proceeds going to The Field Nurse Trust.

If you would like a pattern or more information please contact [email protected]

The Field Nurse Trust 

The Field Nurse Trust is a charity which began in 2016 to support mental health and well-being for those living in rural areas, and particularly the farming communities.

Living in rural areas, social isolation can be a real problem. Looking after livestock is a 24/7 job and can be very lonely. Rural areas often have poor access to phone signal and the internet, and services can be limited with many small shops, pubs, post offices having closed down. Looking after health care needs can be difficult, and the great number of uncertainties in day-to-day farming, be it the weather, financial matters or increasing price rises for fuel and feed can be overwhelming. The rates of suicide among the farming community are very high.

The Field Nurse Trust funds registered Nurses, mainly with a farming background, to attend 5 Livestock auctions on a regular basis as well as many agricultural shows throughout the summer months. They can carry out basic health screening, offer support and advice for mental health concerns, and will signpost on to other services where appropriate. These Nurses are a friendly face who see people in surroundings they are familiar with and without taking time away from their work.